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PatientPlus articles are written by UK doctors and are based on research evidence, UK and European Guidelines. They are designed for health professionals to use, so you may find the language more technical than the condition leaflets.

Salicylate poisoning is potentially fatal. Salicylates are present in aspirin medications and in high concentrations of oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate: one teaspoon = 7 g of salicylate). The local poisons service should be contacted for advice:

UK National Poisons Information Service - www.npis.org (see website for telephone number, as different for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).

Children and adults who have ingested less than 125 mg/kg aspirin and have no symptoms do not require hospital admission. However, ingestion of more than 250 mg/kg aspirin is likely to cause moderate toxicity and ingestion of more than 500 mg/kg aspirin causes severe and possibly fatal toxicity. Risk factors for death include:[1]

Treatment must be in hospital where plasma salicylate, pH and electrolytes can be measured. Absorption of aspirin may be slow and the plasma-salicylate concentration may continue to rise for several hours, requiring repeated measurement of plasma-salicylate concentration.

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. EMIS has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions.